Horace Pan is the founder of Panorama Design Studio. In addition to creating his own design practice, he has also established Panorama Healing, which focuses on how design can drive wellbeing in the built environment. In this FRAME China interview, he explores how the built environment has fallen short on designing for wellbeing and how design can enable healing.
Horace Pan, founder of Panorama Design Group
In a competitive market, how does Panorama differentiate itself?
HORACE PAN: Our primary focus is on cultural discourse projects. In these types of projects, we leverage the inherent environment to showcase the spatial context. For example, in a resort hotel project in China called the Star Hotel, we cleverly integrated the characteristics of the desert to create an all-weather, tranquil environment away from the hustle and bustle of the city. In Dubai China Tang project, we employed a comprehensive branding strategy that combines the culture of Shanghai nightlife with local elements from Dubai. This innovative and abstract cross-disciplinary interpretation creates spatial symbols and colour schemes that differ from typical Chinese restaurants, seamlessly integrating the dining and entertainment experience. This approach not only extends the brand of China Tang but also serves as a rebranding strategy.
For the healthcare space Humansa in Hong Kong, Panorama Design Studio made use of bamboo, diatom mud and natural light to create a comfortable, friendly space for health checks.
You’ve also established a sub-practice Panorama Healing to ‘address the demands of Asia's fast-paced lifestyles’. Could you tell me more about it?
Before the pandemic, we had the opportunity to explore health and wellness issues, one of which was a project called Physical. We explored how to showcase light and shape during exercise, creating a dynamic atmosphere that blends fitness experiences with the vibe of a nightclub. Through this experience, we hope that gym-goers will see themselves as performers, achieving their best shape in a two-hour workout, facing the mirror and rhythm, and showcasing their best posture for health benefits. We also designed a project in Hong Kong called Humansa, where the client aimed to create a multifunctional body-check centre. We adopted a biophilic approach using eco-friendly materials like bamboo, diatom mud and natural light to create an urban oasis in the bustling city of Hong Kong, allowing for relaxation. This space not only facilitates health checks but also various forms of exercise. The project also won the Platinum Award under the Hong Kong BEAM Certification System. As citizens increasingly prioritize health post-pandemic, wellness has become an important topic. We felt the need to contribute, which is what led to the establishment of our subsidiary PANORAMA Healing –to focus on projects related to green living, wellness, and soul healing.
Physical explores how to showcase light and shape during exercise, creating a dynamic atmosphere that blends fitness experiences with the vibe of a nightclub.
The Mee Hotel used bamboo as a primary material, creating a calming bamboo 'forest' for business travellers.
Why is a practice particularly focused on promoting wellbeing in the built environment both timely and important?
The World Health Organization defines health as 'a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.' In short, each of us needs to achieve a state of well-being in body, mind, and soul. After the pandemic, this has awakened us all to the need to pay attention to our state within our environments amidst busy work. In modern life we spend averaging over 80% of our day indoors. In the United States there is a WELL Certification system that not only emphasizes the environmental sustainability of space materials but also focuses on user-centred design, this certification has gradually been promoted over the past few decades. In addition to environmental protection, we should also prioritize the physical and mental health of users.
'We believe that physical bookstores should offer a healing space for body, mind, and soul that cannot be replaced by online bookstores,' says Horace Pan of Reading Mi, a bookstore franchise designed by his studio.
At Forkid's Club, play and discovery is meant for children and adults alike.
How does this notion of healing integrate into your projects outside of spaces that are explicitly dedicated to wellness activities? Why is it important to consider this when designing other spatial typologies?
In recent years, in addition to creating value for physical and mental health, we have launched various projects under the concept of “Urban Healing”. A few years ago, we implemented the "natural healing" concept in a business hotel called Mee Hotel, using bamboo as the primary material to create a bamboo forest where business travellers can find tranquility and comfort. The beauty of light and materials here helps guests relax, providing efficient support for their work the next day. This project has received over 15 international awards. This year, we designed a book store project called Reading Mi. This is a chain bookstore in mainland China and we believe that physical bookstores should offer a healing space for body, mind, and soul that cannot be replaced by online bookstores. We have applied a biophilic design approach, combining shapes of open books and abstract patterns of flowers and trees, allowing every reader to immerse themselves in a garden of knowledge. Here, readers can relax and engage in multifaceted social activities, including new book launches, family theatre, and enjoying coffee time.
Besides this, we also pay special attention to enhancing parent-child relationships, allowing busy parents to cherish their time with their children, which is crucial for children's growth and the establishment of close relationships. Our parenting spaces are designed not just for kids but also for parents to enjoy playtime together, returning to their childhood. Our project Forkid's Club is an award-winning initiative born from this philosophy.
